Konkani Beauty Series: Mandakini Tile II, by Nandini Chandavarkar

The series of works titled Konkani Beauty features blue and white ceramic tiles that explore the fragmented nature of the female body—a fragmentation perpetuated by the gaze.

I approach these works by creating collages of feminine tropes inspired by the classic nude, juxtaposed with imagery of bodies drawn from both Western and Indian popular culture.

By experimenting with ceramic printing techniques, I focus on the aesthetic qualities of ‘glaze faults.’ This discernible effect is integral to producing a level of image blurring, alluding to the “illusion of the feminine” found in contemporary narratives.